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Steve Coogan Movie to Get Norwich Premiere After Social Media Campaign

An online petition conducted by fans sealed the debut for the small English town where "Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa" is set.

LONDON – Fanboys (and girls) of Alan Partridge, the cult British talk and radio show host creation portrayed by Steve Coogan, have secured the world premiere for Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa for Norwich, England after a social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

Norwich is where the movie is set and where the cult creation Partridge lives and works at fictional radio station, North Norfolk Digital, located in the town.

Writer Armando Iannucci tweeted Monday that the movie will launch at Norwich’s Anglia Square on July 24.

It is scheduled to screen at lunchtime before unspooling later that evening at the more traditional location of Leicester Square in the British capital.

Patridge also tweeted his own "confirmation" of the plans to host an event in Norwich.

"You can imagine how hurt and litigious I felt when people said I was planning to debut my movie in London instead of Norwich, or that I'd allowed my head to be turned by the prospect of big city fame," Patridge said. "Any suggestion I've hastily cobbled together the lunchtime Norwich screening in response to a local Twitter campaign will be met with the full force of the law."

The film, with previous working title The Alan Partridge Movie, will be rolled out across the U.K. by StudioCanal from August 7.

StudioCanal is also handling international sales of the film launched during Cannes this year.